If you want a job doing properly….and Angus Watt is a strong advocate for ‘doing it yourself’. In our latest profile of the people who keep our 911s the best on the road, we took a trip to Banbury and met a determinedly self-made man. And look at what else he makes, too…

Back in 1979, the UK motorist was probably marveling at the wonders of the age, which now included the catalytic converter, the on-board cassette player, and ABS brakes.

It’s also the milestone year Angus began his career in air-cooled motoring. And what a journey it’s been; from an unfinished beach buggy, an MoD apprenticeship, “doing bits for racing cars” and aerospace projects, but things really ‘took off’ 15 years ago, when Angus “somehow found myself with my own garage. Still not sure how that happened.”

He and the first cohort of workers, at the Greatworth Classic garage including fellow interviewee Adam, were all about the DIY, building their own workspaces and benches and putting up their own lights. They are all devotees of the air-cooled engine and while Adam notes that they work with water-cooled VWs and other marques, it’s all about the breeze, and the Porsche.

The Specialist’s Specialist.

As we’ve noted many times, working with air-cooled Porsches is a niche market and the current staff of 10 bring their own specialism to Angus’s operation. A large service area dominates the working space and when we visited there were many 993s and 964s, SC 3.2s in for service and repair. Bread and butter work includes brakes, jammed sunroofs, non-working charging systems and the maddeningly non-working interior components.

Two of Angus’s most experienced staff work in the body shop zone; both are experienced panel-beaters and highly-skilled in working with what’s there rather than reaching for the filler. The on-site jig system and specialist equipment enables Adam’s team to work on a visiting 356, early and late 911 al the way up to 993.

The dedicated ‘trim room’ is equipped to create carpet sets; He feels that cutting seat covers from whole hides are “a little too specialist” but retrim kits from Design911 are all in a day’s work. He notes that off-the-peg carpet sets often fit poorly around the pedals, but his shop is geared up to get the job done properly, even if the customer wouldn’t notice the difference. Who dares take their eye off the road in a 911 running at full chat?

Process makes perfect.

Angus’s tour includes an interesting commentary on what makes the perfect customer service experience and self-sufficiency is key. “Anything you have to take out and wait for someone else to finish is a potential problem, and if that wait includes taking it to the sort of people that are normally busy – trimmers, machine shops, auto electricians – then that’s even worse.  So, we spent the last five years bringing all that expertise in house so we can offer the true ‘one stop shop’ experience.”

Replicas – the real deal

Porsche owners looking to put their cars on the track may ask Adam’s team to build out race engine replicas to avoid damage to the original mills. Assembled from Design911 parts and with little more than the original crank case as a guide, it’s not a job for the hobbyist.

Currently on the bench is a 906/914 GT and a 2.5 ST built from a normal 2.4T engine. They have also built 2.7 RS replica engines, tweaked versions of the factory-issue version. Currently up on blocks is a 356 which has been blessed with a slightly peppier version of the Stuttgart factory engine, thanks to Greatworth Classics. It’s a core area of the business.

“Two guys are working about 180 hours a month, each, which supports a quick turnaround”. That’s great, but a dedicated workforce working specifically on engines demands an efficient parts supply, and Adam and his team work closely with Design911 to make sure they have what they need to replicate the original engine when they need it.

Angus estimates that as soon as the original engine has been disassembled, dipped, and measured, the new components are ready to be crafted into something completely new. As he says, it didn’t take Porsche a year to build a 911 engine, so why should it be a problem for anyone else?

Enter Adam, jack of all trades…

This is how Adam, the workshop supervisor, describes himself and he is indeed something of an all-rounder. He regularly deploys his skills wherever the job demands – whether that is mechanics, paint, tyres, trim or alignment, whatever it takes to turn a project back into a Porsche. And again, it’s a process-led service. “When a new customer comes to us we work through a checklist that includes brakes, suspension, tyres, lights, engine and we’ll email the customer with our appraisal of what’s needed.”

And so, the team start creating a chain that begins with that initial contact, and only ends when a customer is happy to sign off the work, whether it’s a mere fix or full restoration.

Parts of the process.

Every chain is only as strong as the weakest link and it’s clear that both he and Adam see Design911 fitting in with their DIY ethos. That’s all good, but nothing happens unless the required parts are in stock ‘at source’, and that’s where Adam rates Design911 so highly. “In the past we’ve had issues with suppliers where we’ve ordered what we need, have been told the item’s in stock and it hasn’t been. That means a week’s delay in getting what we need, which has a knock-on effect with the overall job.”

The one-stop shop, self-sufficiency ethos runs like a thread through the narratives of both men, and it’s clear that with their own reputation on the line they prefer to rely on as few external elements as possible. In that respect, Design911 are happy to remain as the silent partner who pick up the phone on first ring. Remember our number when you kick off your own labour of love. Meanwhile, if you’re up for some classic car window-shopping, check out the Greatworth Classic garage site.

Watch the full feature here –